SHC reserves verdict on petition against prolonged power cuts by K-Electric

KARACHI: As the metropolis continue to experience prolonged power cuts amid soaring temperature the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (Nepra) lawyer informed a two-judge bench of the Sindh High Court that it had received no complaint against K-Electric.

The power-sector regulator will take action against K-Electric only if it receives any complaint, the counsel said leaving the judges shocked.

Justice Irfan Saddat Khan, who headed the bench, became visibly irked over the statement of the Nepra’s counsel, remarking that didn’t it know that K-Electric had made the lives of people miserable.

He questioned whether the regulatory authority was toothless that it was waiting for a complaint to act against the power utility?

Had Nepra fulfilled its responsibility, the petitioners wouldn’t have taken pains to approach the court, he observed.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by civil rights activists against prolonged and widespread load-shedding in the metropolis.

It reserved its verdict to be pronounced on a date to be fixed by the court office later.

During previous hearing, the court had censured K-Electric for being ineffective to reduce load-shedding and summoned its head to explain its failure.